'Productive' Parliament session ends with 24 legislations passed

Terming the Budget Session as a ‘productive’ one, the government on Wednesday said referring two key bills to select panels was not a setback.

“There is no setback… The Opposition did not cooperate in the passage of the two bills in the Rajya Sabha, where we do not have a majority,” Parliamentary Affairs Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu said.

As the Centre closes in on completion of one year in office, it had hoped to showcase the two reform bills as its major achievements.

However, the Rajya Sabha proved to be a stumbling block for the NDA. The Opposition, led by the Congress, united against the Land Bill while the Grand Old Party refused to support the NDA on the GST Bill saying the changes introduced needed further scrutiny.

Despite the hiccups, the NDA managed to pass 24 legislations in the session, including allowing 49 per cent FDI in the insurance and coal sectors and the Constitution amendment regarding the Land Boundary Agreement with Bangladesh.

“Parliament set new records during the last one year,” Naidu said.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley presented the NDA government’s first fully-fledged budget after assuming office in May last year and got it passed.

In the Opposition space, the highlight of the budget session was a demoralised Congress discovering a recharged Rahul Gandhi, who went on a leave of absence when the session started February 23 but surfaced just days ahead of second half of the session from April 20.

Since then an aggressive Rahul has surprised both his friends and foes by attacking the government on issues like Land Bill, the plight of farmers, and net neutrality.

The government passed 24 bills during the Budget Session of Parliament

Naidu struck a conciliatory note, saying: “The need of the hour is for both the ruling and Opposition to collectively rise to the occasion in making Parliament an effective instrument of fulfilling the aspirations of the people.”

Targeting the Opposition for disrupting the House over petty issues, the minister said the Lok Sabha had lost six hours and 54 minutes but made up for the lost time by giving up lunch hours and working beyond schedule time for 42 hours and 41 minutes.

The Rajya Sabha lost 18 hours and 28 minutes but gained 20 hours.

“The Opposition had given notices seeking suspension of Question Hour on 20 days and for adjournment of business of the House on 32 days and in effect, disturbed the proceedings on 32 of the 35 working days of the Lok Sabha. In the case of Rajya Sabha, Opposition sought adjournment of business on 15 of 32 working days,” he said.

Naidu said that the Lok Sabha held 90 sittings while the Rajya Sabha had 87 during the session, the highest in the last ten years. The Lok Sabha worked 117 per cent of the scheduled time while the productivity of Rajya Sabha was 101 per cent.

The Lok Sabha had 35 sittings during the session, the highest in the last five years while the Rajya Sabha held 32 sittings, the second best in the last five years, he informed.